10 Things You Didn't Know About Jack Bauer

Badass Jack Bauer and '24' are back for a 12-episode run. Y'all feel a little safer now, don't ya?

Jack is back! Fox has resurrected TV's biggest badass of the millennium — that'd be Jack Bauer — and with him, 24, one of the network's most successful and creatively lauded franchises.

Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who, like Jason Bateman, was an '80s superstar that got a mid-career boost in the '00s, is back for a 12-episode event, dubbed 24: Live Another Day, which started May 5. It picks up four years after the finale.

Each ep centers on an hour, meaning it's another day in the life of Bauer — that's Mr. Bauer to you — and will involve gunshots, battles, sweat, tension, government shakedowns, secrets revealed and Jack's life (and the lives of his loved ones) in a constant state of peril.

Since he is such a complex, complicated and well-written character, we've assembled 10 things the average viewer may not know (or remember) about Jack Bauer.

What is there to know about the show's hero, who is also a bit of an anti-hero? Plenty.

The show's creators did not have an actor in mind when creating the part. But once they heard Kiefer Sutherland's name, they knew he was their Jack Bauer.

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His birthday is February 18, 1966. That means he is a Pisces.

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Ever notice that he is well spoken? That is because he holds a degree in English Literature from the University of California at Los Angeles. He also holds a Master of Science in Criminology and Law from Berkeley. You can't outsmart the bad guys without being ... smart!

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Bauer's Army service lasted 15 years, with him rising to the rank of captain.

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Bauer has been awarded a Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Legion of Merit. So yes, he is decorated. America thanks you, Jack! Fictional America, that is.

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He can speak several languages other than English, including Spanish, Russian, Arabic, German and Serbian. See why he is the government's secret weapon?

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He appeared in Season 18 of The Simpsons. The ep is titled "24 Minutes" and his mission is to arrest Bart, who phoned him during a shooting. That's some creative cross-pollination of a pair of tentpole series on Fox's part. Sutherland voiced the character, of course, and it was the 399th ep of the long-running show, although promoted as the 400th.

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Bauer has been criticized (as a character) for his use of torture. He was also a victim of it.

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Sutherland didn't think the show would get picked up, but needed the money, so he did it, thus revitalizing his career.

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Bauer used to ride motorcycles and surf in high school, all activities and hallmarks of a future badass who would go against the grain.